The Adventures of a Goomba Girl
by Dinahmite64
Summary: Goombella goes on an adventure alongside her professor, one of his former students, and his assistant. They search for a golden treasure in an ancient temple, but is it really worth it?
1. Chapter 1: The Necklace

Goombella scavenged through the hot, punishing desert sand. "PROFESSOR FRANKLY, IS IT ANYWHERE NEAR YOU?" She cried out.

"No, Goombella!" Professor Frankly cried back. "I'm still searching!"

"How about you guys?" She yelled out, attempting to make her voice distinguishable from beyond the punishing sandstorm.

Kooper was still digging. He looked up over the blowing sand dune and called back to Goombella. "No, I haven't found it yet, Goombella!"

Kolorado was lying down in a lawn chair, twiddling with his clock and holding his hat. "Oh, it is most dreadful," he called out. "this sandstorm had better end soon." He tweaked his moustache. "I can't imagine going on any further than this..."

Kooper decided to switch place and go closer to Goombella, where he found the small Goomba girl had begun to develop a rash under her left eye. "Uh... Goombella, your-"

"I don't care about that right now! I'll deal with that after we find this fossil!" She continued to dig, which Kooper found to be a very curious thing, as she had no hands or arms.

Professor Frankly noticed Kooper leaning towards Goombella's face. "Hey!" he called out. "None of _that_, you two! We have an ancient necklace to find!"

"I found a shard!" Kolorado called out, removing his hand from under his lawn chair. "It was right under me!"

"Lucky bastard," Goombella muttered hatefully. They went over to observe the trinket Kolorado held in his left hand. Goombella eyed it carefully. "This is, without a doubt a piece of the Necklace of Goom. Soon, when we assemble it 100%, by finding the other two shards around here, we will open the Temple of Goom."

"That's what the ancient epitaph said." Professor Frankly recited.

"He who has the three pieces of charm, shall

find shelter in the place adorned

with gold, steel, and metals of sorts

but will contend with the crimson eye."

"That could mean anything," Kooper left it open for possibilities.

"It sounds good to me, old chaps." Kolorado exclaimed. "Infinite wealth and sellable metals!"

"But I'm still trying to figure out what 'the Crimson Eye' means." Goombella announced, feeling unsure of the whole situation. She felt that if it was something that she couldn't record in her Tattle log, she should be wary of it. Goombella was certain that she had known positively everything about anything, but this riddle tested this. She had many hypotheses as to what it could mean, but it remains to be seen.

Kooper had begun to walk and tripped on a shiny, metallic object. "Hey, look! I found one!" he said, picking it up, along with himself.

_All that remains is to find the third one._ Goombella thought. She had tried to look around, but her vision was shrouded with flying debris and the painful stinging of dirt and what could have been glass in her eyes and cheeks. The rash began to itch like crazy. She began to scratch at it, and it busted open and began to bleed. "Oh, beautiful!" Goombella exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "just what I needed!"

Kooper ran over and placed a temporary bandage on the open sore. He looked at the bandage on Goombella's cheek and touched his own. "Hey, Goombella! Matching bandages!"

"Shut up." the grouchy Goomba girl said, walking past him.

She walked over to the old Goomba. "Professor," she began. "this is hopeless. The wind's blowing the dunes over the dunes. Finding the third piece will be like looking for a needle in a haystack!"

"That's fine." Professor Frankly dismissed the idea. "I was a champion at that sport, myself. All due to my persistence."

Goombella began to feel ashamed. "I'm a graduate of the University of Goom, and I helped Mario defeat the Shadow queen. There's no way I can give up if I've come this far! Rash or no rash! Storm or no storm!" Suddenly, her eye caught a glimpse of a shine in one of the dunes. She rushed past Kolorado, who was in the way, and she retrieved what looked to be the third shard!

"I found it, guys!" She exclaimed wildly with joy. "I found it! The last shard!"

"Good work, fellow archaeologists!" Kolorado clapped his hands. "Now, let us join the pieces together as we planned, hmm? I can't wait to see the Gold-errr- temple."

Goombella, Kooper and Kolorado joined the pieces together. The cracks between them closed up and sealed together with a golden light. The light began to draw out a mystic seal on the floor. Accompanying this was a massive earth rumble, and sand began to pour on different directions as a mound began to rise from the ground. More sand sliding off revealed this mound of sand to be the temple of Goom. It was a temple with a triangular roof, a Goomba with a pharaoh's hat as a stone monument on the building, above many columns with different designs on it.

The four archaeologists stared with wonder. Before anyone could say anything, Kolorado shot like a bullet into the temple, Goombella, Kooper, and Frankly following suit.


	2. Chapter 2: The other side of Kolorado

Kolorado was found lying on his back with the 'gold fever' glow in his eyes. Perhaps it had something to do with the golden walls and columns that alligned the room and the many different gems encrested within the walls and a celing embroidered in diamonds that had something to do with it.

Goombella's eyes lit up like a torch. Kooper felt his heart playing the Starman tune. Professor Frankly had to retake his heart medications.

"Well, young ones, this is it." Professor Frankly announced. "This is, without a doubt, the **Temple of Goom**."

Kolorado thrusted himself to one side of his shell and got up "Ha! See, this is how a turtle should do it!" he beamed proudly.

"Goombella," Kooper asked. "what do you have to say about this place, being super perceptive, and all?"

"**This is indeed the Temple of Goom. I mean, it looks like we've stepped into El Dorado or something. I would guess by the lock on that door in the end of the hall that there is a key somewhere in this room. We had better go and look for it if we want to see the other beauties behind it!**" Goombella tattled.

"Excellent point, my dear!" Kolorado exclaimed, tweaking his moustache. "Professor Frankly, have you any idea as to where this key could be? Or even what it may look like?"

"Well," Frankly said, stepping over to the lock. "it is apparently a 3-pronged key- sort of like a trident, but key-sized..."

"Well, let's split up to maximize our chances of finding it!" Kooper announced, raising his fist in the air.

"Yes, a splendid idea!" Kolorado agreed, nodding. "It is just as I had taught you."

"Oh, please," Goombella said, walking up to Kolorado. "any idiot would think of that strategy! You had absolutely nothing to do with it, you swelled-headed _pig_!"

Kooper felt insulted and flinched.

"I'm swelled-headed? You shouldn't talk, Goomba!" Kolorado spat. "And I was inspiration for his idea, because had I not been here, he would not have thought of splitting up, as only groups of 4 do that! Everybody knows that!"

"Why don't you two settle down?" Professor Frankly announced. "If there truly is something in here that wants to kill us, don't you think silence would be a wiser choice?"

"Sorry, professor." The bickering duo apologized unanimously.

"Now, I will go with Kolorado and search the west area, and Kooper and Goombella will search the east area of this room."

"Let's go! Chop chop!" Kolorado scolded, following the old professor.

"What a piece of-" Goombella began.

"Goombella..." Kooper censored.

"...Goomnuts." Goombella finished.

"How am I an idiot?"

"Huh?"

"You called me an idiot before. Why?"

Goombella was stunned. As she began searching, she was trying to recall having said this. Then she remember the splitting up situation. "Oh, _that_!" she came to a realization. "No, I wasn't calling you an idiot."

"You weren't? But you said, and I quote, 'any idiot would think of that strategy!', and... I came up with it, so..." Kooper crossed his arms and displayed an insulted expression.

"i said that in the heat of the moment because that annoying Kolorado decided to take glory once again." Goombella confessed, feeling upsat at having hurt Kooper. "He always does that! Takes the glory and leaves the people who actually do the work in the dirt!"She stamped her foot down extremely hard. "I AM SO SICK OF IT!"

The vibration caused a key with three prongs to fall off the wall and land directly beside Kooper, sticking in the floor like three knives.

"Well, what do ya know?" Kooper exclaimed with shock. "Goomie, I think you found it!"

"Naturally," Kolorado danced over and immediately picked it up. "I knew it was already there, and I was just waiting for you two babies to notice it."

Goombella rolled her eyes. "Sure, and I'm a Spiny's Uncle."

Professor Frankly came up and patted Goombela on the head. "Don't pay any mind to this blowhard," he whispered to her. "he's always been like this, even as my student ages ago. Don't take him too seriously."

Goombella nodded, and felt reassured by the old Goomba's words. "Alright."

"Oh," he added before walking away. "and good job, my assistant."

"Thanks, professor!" Goombella beamed proudly. "I do my best!"

Kolorado stuck the three-pronged key into the lock and opened the door. A light of silver beamed out, and the next room seemed to look even more beautiful. The entire room was a chromatic silver, with exception to the dirt floor, with a small river intersecting in an "X" shape in the middle of the room. There were columns encrusted with pearls and diamonds all over the place. Naturally, the archaeologists got to work examining and taking souvenirs and packing them in their bags. Goombella recorded the data in her Tattle Log about the room, its contents, and the ceramics made of silver aligned in the walls and Kooper was digging out gems from the Earthly floor with a pickaxe. Kolorado was stuffing jewels like mad into his bag and the Professor carefully studied the ancient pottery.

"This is incredible!" Kooper exclaimed. "Isn't it incredible, Goombella?" he looked over at the joyful Goomba girl who was in her prime at the moment, examinign every square inch of the room and sketching it detailedly in her book.

He noticed that from beneath her bandage, blood was trickling out. "Hey," he announced, catching up to the Goomba girl. "Goombella, your, uh, wound is open again!"

Goombella noticed upon looking at her cheek. "Ah, shit, again." She removed the blood-stained bandage to reveal a chilling sight that caused Kolorao to scream like a little girl and make the Professor turn white. Kooper's eyes nearly fell out and Goombella's heart was racing.

A nasty infection began to spread across her cheek like a Crimson gash.

"We have to get her out of here!" Kooper cried, in a panic for his friend's well-being. "She might die!"

"Oh, it's just an infection," Kolorado shook it off. "it can be cured. But later, of course. We still have another door to go through, and this one is not locked!"

"Kolorado," Frankly insisted. "I would have to side with Kooper this time. I fear for my assistant's life, and-"

"She's going to be fine!" Kolorado yelled in rage and desire. "Now, come! Let us see what more beautiful treasures we can find in this beautiful temple!"

"But-" Kooper raised a finger.

"But- NOTHING!" Kolorado scolded. "I thought you wanted to be a good archaeologist! Didn't you say that, Kooper? Was that just a lie?!"

"No..." Kooper oblected.

"Then we shall leave Goombella here and venture on ourselves!"

"Don't count me out... just yet..." Goombella continued to walk, but the pain began to spread throughout her body, impairing her. "you... jerk..." She walked up to Kolorado, who was backign away from her.

"Hey!" Kolorado yelled. "Whatever it is you have, I don't want it!"

Goombella smirked. "Once a wuss, always a wuss..." And then she collapsed flat on her face. Kooper nearly shrieked.

"WE HAVE TO GET HER MEDICAL TREATMENT NOW!" Frankly cried out angrily.

Kolorado's blood began to boil and his mind cried out in desire. Desire, of corse, to get the countless riches of the temple. He was not going to let this little setback ruin his once-in-a-lifetime chance at riches. He shoved his hand into his pocket, and with a look of intense hatred, he pulled out his gun. "None of you are going anywhere!" his mouth began to drool with treasure lust. "Take one step towards that entrance and I'll shott you all! Do you understand?"

"You've lost it!" Frankly exclaimed.

"Not yet, I haven't!" Kolorado contradicted, thirst in his voice. "And I don't intend to! No... I've waited too long in my life to enter the Temple of Goom, and I'm not going to lose this chance for that stupid little bitch! Not now, not ever!"

Kooper felt disgusted at his mentor. The man he idolized was driven by not courage, but selfish, primal desires.

Kolorado stood there before them, not as a Koopa, but more as a demon. Weilding the gun, he looked towards the suffering young female Goomba. "I should just put her out of her misery right now and bury her in this dirt floor!"

The Professor stood in front of his students, closing the gap of distance between Kolorado and Goombella, providing a shield for her in case Kolorado was not bluffing.

He shook his head. "No. I will not let you hurt her!" He closed his eyes, expecting a gunshot, but none came.

"Fine, old man!" Kolorado dismissed. "Just give her a **Tasty Tonic** or a **Super Mushroom**, or something!"

Kooper ran to Goombella, and fed her a **Life Mushroom**, to help her slowly recover as they went along.

Kolorado assumed his role-leadign from behind the group, keeping them at gunpoint, of course. "And we march on!" He comanded, advancing forward, leaving his compassion behind.


	3. Chapter 3: Quite Frankly, it's a curse

There was something about this next room that had baffled the group. Perhaps it may have been the fact that the door slammed shut behind them and locked them in a room filled with spikes and Swoopulas. The walls were covered in spikes, and the floor was earthly, not unlike the previous room.

"God, what a dump!" Goombella called out angrily. "You were willing to let me die for this?!"

They were busy fighting the Swoopulas as Kolorado hid in a corner of the room, between two sets of spikes, feeling safe, as he knew that if anything would try to hurt him, they would be impaled by the spikes. Unfortunately, his gun was dropped in the heat of the moment and Kooper picked it up.

Kooper shot through two Swoopulas as Goombella painfully Multibonked one. This did not help her rash at all. Blood spewed forth from it once more upon contact, giving Goombella a sick, nauseous feeling in her stomach.

The professor had looked around for an exit while frantically running from the Swoopulas. He was too old to battle, and he knew it. He was not like the two young courageous apprentices. And, upon looking at the cowering Kolorado in the corner; neither was he.

After the battle ended, Kooper pointed his gun at Kolorado. "Mr. Kolorado, I'm going to take Goombella to get treatment in Dusty Village. Stay here with Professor Frankly." He gave the old Goomba the pistol. "Watch him, please, sir."

"Absolutely." Frankly agreed, shifting his eyes to Kolorado.

The blue-shelled Koopa left with the hurt Goomba girl, and the greedy Koopa with the handlebar moustache glanced over at Frankly, who was looking at the door which had opened once more.

"Frankly," he called out. "I'm sorry for all this, really."

"Uh-huh."

"I-I don't know what in hell came over me..."

"Right."

"Could you please forgive me?" Kolorado pleaded. "A former student to a teacher. Please?"

Frankly sighed. "Okay, fine. I forgive you."

"Thank you!" Kolorado exclaimed, with lots of joy in his voice.

"But I'm still going to keep my eye on you." Frankly replied. "We can't have this sort of rotten, treacherous behaviour again, can we?"

Kolorado tweaked his moustache and glanced over at the 'camera', winking at the audience. "No, no, of course we can't."

Frankly raised an eyebrow.

"I'm very, truly sorry for how I behaved towards Goombella..." he walked in front of the old Goomba very slowly, calmly, and somewhat menacingly. "She is truly a piece of... Gold." He walked behind the professor and put his arm on his would-be-shoulder. "And speaking of gold, what did you think of the golden chamber we went through?"

"It was beautiful." Frankly replied, his lips getting wet thinking about the countless riches in the antechamber and the silver and crystal room just before.

"Frankly, we should have abundance of it." Kolorado tried to persuade. "We can take off with it while Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb are in Dusty Village, and we will be recognized as the greatest archaeologists in the Mushroom World!"

Frankly's eyes lit up with the thought of early retirement and the countless amounts of money he will have. He could then even appoint Goombella as the new Dean of the Archaeology department of the University of Goom and he could receive countless media appearances and write many journals on his extensive knowledge. He could have fame and fortune like no other Goomba ever has!

Kolorado gazed upon Frankly's face and found his final opportunity to let his poison seep in. "And you, Professor Frankly, will be richer than even King Goomboss! You may even besome crowned the new King of the Goombas with all the wealth you will acquire!"

Frankly snuffed the pistol into his pocket and offered his foot to shake Kolorado's hand. Their journey into Capitalism was to begin right now.

* * *

Goombella and Kooper were at a Treatment clinic where she was under treatment for her nasty sore. The doctors also began to inspect Kooper for any traces of illness, and he turned out to be just fine.

The doctor asked Kooper to come in as Goombella wanted to see him.

"How do you feel, Goombella?" Kooper asked, concerned for the welfare of his new friend.

"I still feel like rotting Goomnuts..." Goombella replied. "But a little better."

"You should." the doctor replied. "You're away from that Cursed Temple grounds."

"!"

"C-c-cursed?!" Kooper exclaimed with shock. "So it IS cursed!"

"The curse of the Crimson eye." the doctor replied. "I am sure you've heard of it."

"S-so, that's what this sore is?!" Goombella replied, shocked.

"Yes." the doctor walked up to the window and looked at the ugly, clouded, sepia-coloured sky. "There was once an evil tyrant who ruled over this desert. King Goomses. He hated the world and the people in it, and had an obsession with murder. He would throw people in the pits of his castle to fight to death in a coloseum-like atmosphere. Soon enough, people were fed up with this treatment and overthrew him. In his final words, he layed a curse on his necklace, his palace-or today-temple, and banished it to the bottom of a sand pit. The grounds itself are cursed, and Goombas are more susceptible to his curse- The Crimson Eye- than anyone else."

"Why did he hate Goombas so much?" Kooper asked, feeling pity for Goombella.

"He hated them because they reminded him most of what he despised the greatest-himself."

"It's really nice when your own kind hate you..." Goombella blurted out sarcastically.

"It would explain why you have it and we don't Goomie." Kooper explained.

The doctor left the room right before Goombella could ask him why her teacher was unaffected by the curse.

"Professor Frankly was unaffected, wasn't he?" Goombella asked Kooper to make sure.

"I don't... _think_ so...?" Kooper replied, unsure himself whether the old teacher was stricken with the ailment or not.

"Well, we need to go back and check up on him!" Goombella cried, rushing up out of the hospital bed. "I hope the professor is okay!"

"Goombella, you heard the man!" Kooper scolded. "You can't go back there! You may be struck worse than this when you get closer!"

"Do I look like I care?" Goombella asked, frustrated. "The Professor is like a father to me! I need to make sure he's okay!"

"Hey, Kolorado was my idol!" Kooper rebutted. "But I saw his true colours and now I couldn't care less if he were to die!"

"You don't understand," Goombella began. "I have known Professor Frankly for a very long time. You've only known Kolorado for about two years."

"A crappy two years it was..." Kooper added. "But during that time, I still admired him, up until he pointed that gun at me." He walked beside Goombella down the hallway. "But Goombella..." he stopped and she followed suit. "I, uh... I really like you. A sa friend, of course. I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Chillax!" Goombella replied ecstatically. "I'll be fine! Hey, I've been through MUCH worse than this! I'll be okay!"

"I hope so..." Kooper replied, following her back out into the sand dunes.


	4. Chapter 4: All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Goombella and Kooper had rushed back into the temple, Goombella ignoring the fiery hell burning in her cheek. She and Kooper were met at gunpoint by Professor Frankly.

"Professor!" Goombella cried. "We have to get out of here! The Crimson eye is a disease-or rather, a CURSE that affects Goombas because of an evil tyrant king!"

"Yes, I know." Frankly replied, closing his eyes.

"!" "!"

"It said on the epitaph of King Goomses;

'He who dares open the seal

must collect first the three shards

and bring a partner who is most likely

to act as sacrificial lamb to the curse's delight.' "

Kooper and Goombella both felt a chill go down their spines.

"So..." Goombella deduced, hoping she was wrong. "you... you were using me as a scapegoat to the curse to get into the temple? Please tell me it isn't true!"

Frankly looke ddown in shame and began to pace the floor. "i... never wanted this Goombella... you were like a daughter to me. Kolorado is the one who came up with the idea." He stopped and turned to look at the distressed Goomba girl. "But, I promise you it'll be fine! Once we get out of here, you will be promoted to the head of the Archaeology department at U Goom! Go Goombas!"

Goombella felt a lump form in he rthroat and tears beginnng to form in the ducts of her eyes. "How could you..."

Kooper put his hand on he rback in comfort.

"HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME, PROFESSOR FRANKLY?!" she cried out loud, tears flying from her eyes.

Frankly felt extremely horrid for having done this to his star pupil, but he tried to drown the guilt with the lust for fame and fortune that Kolorado had put in his mind. "I'm immune to the curse now that it has gotten its sacrificial lamb," he assured her. "but once we leave the desert, it will stop feeding off of your life force."

His words did not console the hysterical Goomba girl.

"Goombella, don't make this any harder than it has to be!" Frankly ordered, growing increasingly frustrated. "Look, when Kolorado comes out with the Golden Goomba, we can leave for Rogueport! The boat is waiting for us."

"I'm not going back with you..." Goombella said, in a low, grungy voice. "You want your sacrificial lamb? Here she is! I'll stay behind and die! I don't want to live with this anymore!"

Kooper felt his heart stop for a second. "Goombella! That's very un-Goombellaish of you!"

"I feel like such a fool!" she exclaimed with a shriek of despair in her voice. "How could I let them take me on this joyride with them?! How did I not see this coming?!"

"Hey, you aren't God, Goombella!" Kooper reassured. "There's no way you'd have known they'd do this to you!"

"I'm truly sorry, Goombella." Frankly said. "I do care for you like a daughter-that's why I want to cheat Goomses! We'll leave in 5 minutes. Then Kolorado can have all his stupid satisfaction and we can resume our lives."

"Don't put all the blame on him!" Kooper caught him mid way. "I know you have something to do with this too! Why else would you have convinced he rinto coming along? You could have easily went with just two Koopas."

"I was too afraid of the Crimson eye." Frankly replied. "I figured that it would have killed Goombella quickly-and since she was so excited... I figured she would go peacefully without knowing about it."

"Curses always kill painfully and gradually, Professor!" Goombella corrected angrily. "How could you not know that? I like, just lost all my respect for you!"

"I said I was awfully sorry, Goombella..." Frankly replied in shame. "I-I was taken in by... the gold fever... like Kolorado... I could not resist..."

Goombella snubbed her teacher and headed for the door. The professor reached out for her not to leave, but it did not work. The door slammed shut and an evil booming voice was heard throughout the temple.

"_**You fools who do not fear the Crimson Eye! Put down the riches of this temple and die where you** _**stand!**"

Suddenly, the walls caved in, attempting to crush the people inside. Kolorado ran amidst the falling rubble, holding in his grip a statue of a Goomba in a Pharaoh's headdress made entirely of Gold.

Frankly came up to him and demanded "Kolorado, what have you done?!"

"Piss off, you old geezer!" Kolorado said, attempting to shovie Frankly against the spiked wall of the room. The old man's body thrusted against the spikes regardless. His blood leaked across the floor, prompting Goombella to scream. She and Kooper looked around and spotted a running figure. The figure exited the temple and the two young archaeologists escaped before the grand implosion.

Kolorado had escaped on Frankly's life. He ha dbetrayed the same old man he had corrupted, and was on his way to fame and glory.

Goombella and Kooper looked at the rubble and spotted the Professor.

"Professor..." Goombela whimpered. "Professor, can you hear me?!"

"Goom...bell...a..." he replied.

"Don't talk, old man!" Kooper insisted. "We'll get you to that hospital!"

"The... curse..." Frankly spat out blood. "is gone... I... have become... the sacrificial... lamb... instead of Goom...bella..."

"WHAT?!" Goombella cried. "No! That's... I mean..." she felt the sore on her cheek disappear.

"Don't let... that traitor... get away, Goombella... it was all... his plan..."

"Damn it!" Kooper shouted out in protest. "WHY?! WHY?!"

"Professor... we-we can help you!" Goombella replied, with false hope in her voice. "we can take you to the hospital!"

"No..." Frankly replied. "If I survive... you'll be cursed again..."

Goombella came close to the professor.

"Goombella... you are now... Head of the arch...aeolo...gy... depart...ment. Good... luck." And with that, the old Goomba expired.

"HUH?!" Goombella cried out. "PROFESSOR!"

She began to cry, and Kooper tried to reassure her.

"We have to stop him, Goombella!" Kooper stated. "It's all we can do for poor old Frankly now."

Goombella continued to sniffle, and then he nodded in agreement and looked into the horizon where Kolorado had ran.


	5. Chapter 5: The Truth Will Out

Kolorado ran into the Dusty Village and started asking people where he could find a small airship or a hot air balloon to make his get-away. The people who he had spoken to were beginning to mumble things like 'idiot' and 'this is a desert, we use magic carpets' among other things as he had walked away from them.

Goombella and Kooper followed after the running man, but had lost him in a crowd of people, fortunately for Kolorado. Goombella felt nothing in her heart for this man except contempt, rashness, bitterness, and burning hatred ever since she first met him. Her Goomba's intuition had warned her that there was something wrong with Kolorado at the start. Now that he was responsible for the death of her favourite teacher (and his corruption, to top things off), she had a good excuse to rip him to shreds. Now that the Crimson eye has been satisfied, she was no longer suffering.

"So, that Crimson eye thing was a curse that just wanted somebody to die? It wasn't the infection itself?" Kooper asked Goombella.

"I would guess so, unless that's what's been eating Kolorado's ass this whole time!"

"Where is that bastard?" Kooper asked. The usually calm and adventurous Koopa was upset at his mentor; not so much for putting him at gunpoint any longer, although that still remains a big part of it, but mostly because of his greedy, hateful, cowardly nature. He felt bad for his new Goomba friend after seeing her cry her eyes out twice in the same day due to this disgusting pretentious Koopa explorer. He was now determined to beat Kolorado to a pulp.

Eventually, Kolorado took a break from running and caught his breath against the wall of a back alley in the village. This is where he was trapped like a rat.

"This is the end of the play, Kolorado!" Goombella cried out. "I'm going to make you pay for what you have done to my teacher!"

"Oh, I'm so scared!" Kolorado taunted. "Why don't you crawl back in that pile of dirt where you belong, hmmm?"

"I USED TO ADMIRE YOU!" Kooper cried out. "I USED TO IDOLIZE YOU! HOW COULD YOU BETRAY MY HOPE AND LOYALTY LIKE THIS?!"

"Oh, Kooper, Goombella! What are you doing there? He's dangerous!"

"!" "!" "

Kolorado called him out. "What-what are you doing here?! I thought I- I thought you'd be-"

The source of the mysterious voice was Kolorado. Goombella and Kooper stood in shock.

"TWO Kolorados? That's worse than one!" Goombella mockingly joked.

Kooper just stood in complete confusion and cautiously took multiple glances at each Kolorado.

Then they all looked towards the Kolorado with the Gold Goomses statue.

"He's the fake!" he cried out. "Kill him! He's pretending to be me! I just escaped with this thing while he was corrupting Frankly!"

"No, no, no, no, no." The second Kolorado called back. "HE's the fake! Anyone can see that!"

"Goombella." Kooper called out his friend, who nodded her head and pulled out her Tattle log.

"Now," she reassured. "we will find out the truth. I have here Kolorado's famous quote. Anyone know what it is?"

"OOOH! OOH!" Kooper shouted, raising his hand.

"ONE OF THE KOLORADOS." she replied, giving him a dirty look.

The cornered Koopa began to sweat, while the Kolorado behind Goombella and Kooper snarkily replied, "Why, of course I know it! What do you take me for? A pretentious idiot?"

"THEN SAY IT!" Goombella cried out angrily and impatiently.

"Don't be daft, dear girl." Kolorado whined. "Ahem! 'Archaeology is about mystery. And you know, without mystery life is rather bland, hm?'"

"THAT's IT!" Goombella cried. "You MUST be him!"

"Well, naturally!" Kolorado called out. "I swear upon my father's grave that I am Kolorado."

The Kolorado pressed against the alley wall began to get frustrated. "Okay, you idiots! You got me! Wanna se who I really am, Goombella?"

"Show yourself!" Kooper yelled before Goombella could reply.

A puff of purple smoke formed around him, and when it began to dissipate, it revealed a sort of ghost creature with a blue party hat and a bow tie with a swarthy-looking face.

"Doopliss!" Goombella cried out. "It was you all along!"

"This is the second time you fell for my shape shifting tricks, Goombella!" Doopliss reminded. "First time in the Creepy Steeple, and now in the Temple of Goom. You call yourself a genius? Your stupid book doesn't have anything like _that_ in it, does it?"

He laughed, only giving Goombella more incentive to murder him. However, she asked one question; "I thought you changed after Shadow Queen was sealed away! Was that another lie?"

"Obviously!" Kolorado announced. "This scoundrel had beat me down, stuffed me in the closet at the Inn, and marched off with you in search for the necklace."

"And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!" Doopliss muttered out from the corner of his mouth.

"Wrong franchise, pal." Goombella mocked.

"Duplighost, " Kooper spoke out, clenching his fists. "we're going to take you down."

"I'd like to see you try!" Doopliss taunted.

The real Kolorado stood up and ran away.

Goombella readied herself, as well as Kooper. "This is it." Kooper announced to Goombella. "Time to avenge poor Frankly!"

"Ha! Fools!" Doopliss cried out in laughter. "Your teacher was nothing more than a puppet persuaded by yours truly! Oh, and, I'd like to see what you'd do without Mario by your side!"

* * *

*BATTLE STARTS*

"This is going to look great in my room!" he said, holding out the Golden Goomses statue, flaunting it. "Thank you so much for helping me get it!"

"Don't count your Koopas till they hatch!" Kooper replied, annoyed.

"In your case, we're gonna destroy the eggs!" Goombella replied, finishing up for Kooper.

"Well, try it!" Doopliss mocked joyfully.

Immediately, Goombella pulled out her Tattle log and Tattled on Dooplis.

"**That's Doopliss, the duplighost who came from Creepy Steeple. Max HP is 40, Defense is 0. This bastard can shapeshift and copy the abilities of his opponents! Man, I have soooo many fond memories of him! (That was sarcasm.) And now, he killed Professor Frankly, so I'm downright pissed! Let's take him down!**"

Doopliss duplicated Kooper and used his **Shell Toss** attack, but Goombella Superblocked it. She gave Kooper a **Power Punch**, making him double in size and attack power, and he attacked Doopliss using his **Fire Shell** attack. It did intense damage (10) to Doopliss.

Goombella used her technique; **Rally Wink**, to allow Kooper to attack twice. He attacked this time with **Dizzy Shell**, making Doopliss dizzy and landing heavy damage. (10)

Doopliss came in with his attack; **Power Shell**, which missed both Goombella and Kooper, as he was dizzy. Goombella saw her opportunity and attacked Doopliss with her **Multibonk**, pulling off Stylish moves and impressing the audience, and doing fine damage to him. (12)

Doopliss was down to 18 HP. "I can't believe this!" he cried out in denial. "You've gotten stronger, ya witch!"

"Shut up!" Goombella called back from across the stage.

Kooper's **Power punch** wore off, reverting him to normal size. He attacked Doopliss with his Shell Toss and did small damage (3).

Doopliss copied Goombella. "Hey, look at me!" he mocked and squandered. "I'm Goombella, a fat, ugly little shit who can't shut her mouth!"

An anger vein popped on Goombella's head.

Doopliss attacked her with her own **Multibonk**, doing a nice number on her (12). She was now down to 18 hp.

Goombella returned the favour, doing 12 damage to Doopliss, bringing him down to 3 HP.

"No... you can't-!"

Kooper finished him off with his **Fire Shell**, doing 5 damage.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Doopliss cried out, bursting into 30 Star points.

Goombella cheered joyfully, but then became enraged about the fact that despite losing, Doopliss still managed to troll them; they wound up with 99 Star points.

* * *

"Okay, okay, you win..." Doopliss yielded. "Take the stupid statue... Not like I really need it anyway, come to think of it."

"No!" Goombella cried. "That isn't enough!"

"Dear girl, shut up and take it!" Kolorado announced.

"No!" She yelled back. "This guy killed Professor Frankly! Now it's_ his_ turn!"

"Frankly is okay, darling girl!" Kolorado announced. "The old guy never came with us!"

"HUH?!" Goombella and Kooper blurted out in unison.

"No, he's back in Rogueport waiting for us." Kolorado announced. "The Frankly that accompanied you was a Duplighost! It was all part of Doopliss' trick to ruin your life."

"And it would have worked, too if it weren't for-"

"Shut up!" Kooper demanded.

"So..." Goombella deduced. "I cried over a Frankly who wasn't really affected by the curse because he wasn't a Goomba in the first place, and was killed by Doopliss as a part of their little sick game to make me hateful and angry?"

"Essentially."

Goombella turned and spat in Doopliss' face.

"The curse was real, slick." Doopliss admitted. "I wanted to get ya back for ruining my fun and games, but since it didn't work-"

He dropped the statue in the sand, ran away and jumped over the rooftops.

"What a jerk!" Kooper exclaimed. "Let's follow him!"

"No," Kolorado replied. "he isn't worth it. Playing cruel, childish pranks like that just reinforces this point."

Goombella and Kooper nodded in agreement.

"Let us now return to Frankly." Kolorado said, putting the statue in his handbag.

Goombella and Kooper walked and looked at eachother and smiled, releasing a sigh of relief.


	6. Chapter 6: Concealed the Conclusion

The group had found themselves back at the boat with which they came to this cursed place, after many tedious hours of walking through the scorching desert sand under the vicious daytime sun.

Kooper was relaxing on a lawn chair, and Kolorado was complaining about the sand in his shoes.

Goombella sat upon the deck, staring out into the sky. How could she have been fooled by a pair of Duplighosts? That is just pathetic! She gazed back at Kooper, who was fitting in quite nicely into the lawn chair, and she walked up to him.

"Heh."

"Yeah, Goombella?" he asked.

"That was some crazy adventure, huh?" she remarked, smirking.

"I agree." Kooper said, tiredly. "I'm glad it's almost over. We have the gold statue thing-a-ma-bob, and now we can return to the real Frankly."

"That bastard sure played a good Professor Frankly..." Goombella dragged on. "He fooled me good. He probably even thought he _was_ Frankly!"

"Actors usually need to get into character near 100% if they wanna pull it off, you know..." Kooper replied to her suggestion.

"I hate being beguiled." Goombella stated with a cold breath.

"Don't we all?" asked Kooper.

"I guess." replied Goombella, as she walked up to Kolorado.

"Kolorado," she said. "I'm not sure how to put this, but..."

"Out with it, I say!" Kolorado commanded, voice exposing his feeling of expecting an apology.

"I'm, uh..." Goombella was searching her mental dictionary from the 'pride' bookmark. "I guess, sorry, for uh, bashing you the whole time, and, uh, I guess you aren't so bad..."

"Well, you more than made up for it, my little scapegoat..." he said, jokingly.

"Ugh! You jerk!" Goombella spat. "I can't believe I'm apologizing to you! You owe ME an apology! For making me go through all that!"

"I just wanted to help you gain experience in the way of archaeology and adventure!" Kolorado exclaimed. "You needn't speak to me with such disrespect! Besides, I was merely suggesting that I was happy that you retrieved the Statue of Goomses!"

"Don't hog the earnings all to yourself!" Goombella threatened, walking away. "...Or I might have to break your nuts."

"Ouch." Kolorado replied, imagining the piercing pain.

* * *

Eventually, the boat came to a nice halt in front of Rogueport harbour. the smell of garbage, waste, and armpit stink filled the air. There were Bob-omb sailors, Toad sailors, and a Ratouie man leaning against a wall.

"Ahhh, the memories that come from this place..." Goombella announced, recounting her adventure with Mario.

The trio marched into town, past the Gallow, past the skull encrusted fences, past the save block, and into the East end, where Kolorado had to chase down the Bandit who stole half of his cash, which didn't matter, as he only had a coin left, anyway. Kooper and Goombella mumbled to each other how he should be grateful the Bandit didn't know about the golden statue he ha din his bag.

They walked past Merlon's house and cut into the building directly beside it, and there sat Professor Frankly, gagged and tied up to his chair. They wasted no time in freeing him and showing him their lusterous artifact.

"A-ha! Good work, you three!" the old Goomba exclaimed. "I knew you could do it! You found the priceless artifact!"

He gave Goombella a pat on the head. "Excellent work, Goombella! We may now be able to learn about the ancient cultures of Goombas from outside the Mushroom Kingdom! Beautiful job!"

"Thank you, Professor Frankly!" Goombella blushed, beaming proudly at her achievement.

"A-hem!" Kolorado tried to get Frankly's attention. "...And what about your STAR pupil?"

"Erm... Good work, Kolorado!" Frankly said. "You three managed to beat back that fiend Doopliss and his hypnotized Duplighost friend, I'm sure?"

"Ohhh, yeah." Kooper replied. "it took some struggle, but it wasn't so bad."

"Good, I feared it may have been too strenuous for the lot of you." Kolorado said, proud of himself.

Kooper replied. "Oh, no, sir! It was no trouble at all!"

"Psssh!" Goombella released her pride. "Try something more challenging next time! Like, seriously!"

Professor Frankly shook his head. "You three seem to have more difficulty in coming to terms with each others' opinions."

"Their opinions don't matter." Kolorado snorted. "Mine _does_, as I am the official expert explorer here."

"Goombella has a great deal of experience under herself." Frankly defended his pupil. "She helped Mario collect the Seven Crystal Stars to open the Thousand-Year Door and ventured forth into the Palace of Shadow to defeat Shadow Queen."

"Sounds like gibberish to me, old boy." Kolorado said, tweaking his moustache. He then gazed at his clock. "AH! My wife will be sternly angry if I'm not back home by sunrise. Kooper, come, as we venture forth back to our hometown in Koopa village!" And with that, he opened the door and left.

Kooper left to follow, but before he opened the door, he turned around and looked at the two Goombas. "Goombella, it was a pleasure working with you, even though things didn't go all that well. I hope someday we can work together again! Maybe in a cooler adventure!"

"Sure, Kooper!" Goombella replied. "I'd really like that." She walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "That's for the road!"

Kooper blushed and turned from side to side. He then opened the door and waved to the two Goombas and followed suit after Kolorado, who had just been mugged a second time by one of the Robbos.

"Well, professor," Goombella said, sitting down and kicking off her shoes. "let's analyze this statue, okay?"

"I've already analyzed it," Frankly turned to his student. "and..."

"And...?"

"And it is not real Gold. It is actually a Gold wrapper on a chocolate statue."

**"WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATT?!"**

Goombella could be heard screaming from outside Professor Frankly's house.

[Goombella and Professor Frankly obtained: **Desert Chocolate**!] (**It's not as good as mainland chocolate, though**.)

"Well, that was all for nothing..." Goombella sulked in a corner. "I should get my Mailbox XP and tell Kooper..."

"Nah!" Professor Frankly dismissed. "it wasn't all for nothing! Let's eat, shall we?"

"Ehhh... what the hell?" Goombella shrugged and joined the Professor in feasting over the dried chocolate delight.

"Some treasures are valuable..." Frankly concluded. "and some are just valuable _lessons_."

"Never get too ahead of yourself..." Goombella deduced from her experiences.

"Exactly."

The two Goombas began to eat slower and Goombella halted for a second. "Wait, I think I packed some diamonds with me!" She reached into her knapsack to find them, but all she found was her Tattle log. And then it hit her like the Crimson eye- "OH, NO! I FORGOT THE BAG ON THE BOAT!"

* * *

A week later, Kolorado was being interviewed on live television for his amazing solo expedition into the ancient Temple of Goom and how he escaped with all its riches; including the Solid Gold Goomses Statue. He did, however in his interview, omit the fact that he had received lots of help from two other people, and that he had stiffed the two Goombas with a decoy. He could live with this, after all. Nothing halts the path to fame.

Kooper, however, decided to send Goombella an e-mail, telling her about how Kolorado had stiffed them. She did not care any longer, because she had realized that she could always go back to the Temple of Goom with Goombario and Kooper to get any treasures left behind in the rubble.

- THE END -


End file.
